Zara needs a Stem Cell Therapy for Cerebral Palsy

I consider Zara my niece. My cousin Julie and her husband, Eyad, want to give her the best possible chance in life. That best possible chance is this stem cell transplant since it will give her an opportunity to walk and talk.

Here is the ask from my family. Please take time to read about Zara and everything she has been through since she was born.

Zara’s Journey



My husband and I welcomed our sweet daughter Zara into the world in July of 2021. While we were overjoyed with love and emotion as first-time parents, Zara was overwhelmed with medical issues that were difficult to diagnose. Zara weighed less than 5 pounds at birth and was in the hospital the first 3 and half months of her life.

Zara’s medical journey has been lengthy with many twists and turns so far, but we have always been by her side every step of the way. Zara is our first child and since we were not aware of any medical issues during the pregnancy, we have had to hit the ground running by researching and educating ourselves every day, while also learning how to advocate for our daughter.

Cerebral Palsy

Zara has cerebral palsy, which is caused by abnormal brain development or damage to a developing brain that affects a person's ability to control his or her movements. Cerebral palsy can also often be related to other conditions like vision and speech impairment. Specifically, our Zara has quadriplegic cerebral palsy with mixed tone spastic-dystonic predominant, cortical vision impairment, microcephaly, aspiration during feeding that prevents her from drinking water and thin liquids, gastrointestinal problems, and global developmental delay. She is extremely motivated and is very resilient. She never wants to sit still and is always trying to stand and walk on her own. While we use SMO braces, a stander, and a gate trainer, she has not been able to stand or walk unassisted, but we can see that she just needs a little extra help to achieve her goal.

We also can tell that she really wants to communicate with others. We continue to try sign language, augmentation and alternative communication, and are practicing phonics with her. Communication and language have been especially challenging since Zara has challenges with fine motor skills and low oral muscle tone. She tries very hard to make different vowel sounds though.

We have been fortunate to have Zara in physical therapy, occupational therapy, vision therapy, speech therapy, and development therapy throughout her life. And she continues to gain skills, but at a slow pace. Once she does gain a skill, she is so excited to show everyone what she can do. Zara absolutely loves people and always wants to be around others and join in with whatever they are doing. She never wants to be left out of anything.

Hope For Treatment

We are reaching out to ask for any support to help us afford a treatment that could give Zara a chance at a new life. An Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cell (UCMSC) treatment uses an umbilical cord, which would otherwise be thrown away. The treatment could give her a chance to talk for the first time, to walk without assistance, and to just play with the other kids at school or to grow up into an independent adult. This treatment is most effective before the age of 5 years old, so we are doing all we can to find a way to save and raise enough funds to offer Zara a chance at the life that we have. Our hope is that these two treatments will serve her throughout the rest of her life.

Thank you for reading this and if you are able to support us in any way, please know how deeply appreciated and life-changing your support and generosity will be in our lives.

Thank you again,

Julie, Eyad, and Zara